Pipeline prompts veto threat of highway bill

The White House is threatening to veto transportation legislation that would extend money for highway construction projects through the end of September because it would mandate construction of a Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline that President Barack Obama earlier blocked.

Congress has been financing road projects through stopgap measures. This one would extend spending from July 1 to Sept. 30. But Republicans, who control the House, want to add the requirement to build the Keystone XL pipeline project.

The White House, in a statement Tuesday, said such a requirement would bypass long-standing practices on how to approve cross-border pipelines. The statement noted that a pipeline route has yet to be identified.